We live in a world in which people attach their feelings of value, self-worth and social standing amongst their peers to things they buy and the so-called brand name items seem to have the most appeal. People, generally speaking, spend huge amounts of money on items with the brand name splashed all over it and I guess they feel more validated by others, more acceptable or simply better than those that do not have those things...but are they better? I guess some might be, but I don't think it has much to do with the brand they wear, it's more about the person themselves, and I do not think a brand name in and of itself has the ability to make a person any better than they are already.
I fully understand that some items are manufactured to be better than others and I usually try and buy the best I can afford, certainly when it comes to items that I may need to rely on such as safety, communication, vehicle and firearms equipment and other such things, but they are bought based on what they do, how they will perform and how reliable they will be not because there's a brand name attached to them. Buying a name brand item because one feels they will be perceived in a better way because of it doesn't make a lot of sense to me...but marketers and corporations promote it for obvious reasons and the vast majority of the population fall for it.
I wonder what you may think of this phenomenon and what your buying habits might be and why.
Do you buy brand names because they make you more acceptable to others, do you feel the need to have a designer label emblazoned across a shirt to feel validated, drive a vehicle with a popular badged on it and default to the more expensive brand name items because you feel better having them? Why do you feel you'll be perceived more poorly if you do not and what makes you feel you'll be better-perceived or more readily accepted? Do you purchase only after determining the item is the right thing for you, will do the job it is supposed to, stand the test of time and so forth...or do you simply buy because the brand name-perception?
Feel free to comment on how consumerism drives buying habits and why you think brand name items are something people covet.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own
Brand Names?
DeWalt... Nuff said.
DeWalt know what's up.
I really agree with your opinion, branded goods cannot make our lives better than when we use non-branded goods. The only person who can raise our self-esteem is ourselves, but there are some people who want to look rich by using branded goods, even though the economy is still difficult.
But I want to admit that the Ferrari you shared above is very sexy😁👌
Yep, it is a decent vehicle, but it comes with a lot of additional cost of maintenance and insurance...but maybe one day you'll have one.
Amen, I really want to own a Ferrari one day, I hope we continue to be successful, brother
So, ah, I constantly have people in my workplace talk to me about building my brand within the organisation... which means they want more people to know about me and know what I bring to the table to make it easier to get promotions or job opportunities but... what if I don't want to be a brand... just a dude doing some stuff for money so I can eat?
I get what you mean, I feel the same, just let me do my thing, get paid and bugger off home. But here's the thing, being like that is a brand in itself, and a person can become known for it. What we do builds our own personal brand no matter what; *reliable and dependable? * That's part of a person's brand. Lazy with a bad attitude? That's part of the brand. Of course, that doesn't mean one needs to get out there and self-promote like a glamour-boy, that's a different sort of brand called wanker.
I like to be known as dependable, helpful, knowledgeable, personable, hard working, the guy who never quits, and so many other things and each makes up my brand (perception) that other people see. Ask my partner and she'll describe my brand differently from my boss, but there's always similarities. I guess it comes down to being one's true and best version and allowing others to see, or not see, what they wish.
A great spin on the topic man, thanks for taking it in a different direction. #postideaforthefuture
When I was younger, up till high school, I liked shirts with big designs. Things like Dickies, or Ecko. But now, I am the opposite. I have become a minimalist, so I try to go for clothes with little to no design on them. I also go for efficiency rather than brand for things like cars, cellphones, etc. If an item can last me a lifetime, I'd rather go with that, than any of the popular brands.
I grew up in a family where there wasn't any money left over for brand names and non-essential spending so I carried that forward to adulthood; now, well I can buy whatever I want whenever I want but I pretty much do the same as you, need over want buying. I'm content.
I buy primarily based on utility, feedback from others, warranty support, and longevity.
I want something that will last and care little for what others think of me for not having a brand.
I think that those who are insecure about themselves, whether they realize it or not, want the approval of others, and I think a lot of that stems from how you grew up. If you grew up primarily around people who always had to have the latest and greatest things, then that's all you know. Then when you get into junior high and high school, when insecurity is at its peak for most people, the facade of affluence becomes a mask to hide behind, but the mask is one you dare not take off. It becomes your prison unless you choose to stop caring about what others think about you, and your worth is that you are a person, there is no other "you."
Exactly!
Your last paragraph is on-point and I agree completely. I grew up in a family environment where there was little left over once the necessities were paid for and it instilled in me a strong need over want ethos and a healthy respect for what I had. I buy for quality now, longevity and durability as you say, but that doesn't always mean a brand name is required.
Lastly, I like what you say about worth also, "your worth is that you are person, there is no other "you." Well said.
I didn't grow up wanting, and so I can understand some of the name brand obsession, but my parents kept me grounded. They didn't buy flashy things.
I'm working to do the same with my kids. My wife actually started watching Minimalist vidoes a while back. They gave her (and us) the idea to go through their (and our) toys and take out the ones nobody has played with for months. After a few months of being in a closet, if they're not missed at all, then they get donated.
It's helped me pause and consciously evaluate any non-essential purchases by asking, "Will I use this regularly, or will it collect dust in a corner or on a shelf?"
That's a good process; people tend to get caught up in accumulating things these days, an agenda pushed by corporations and marketers I guess. Some are necessary of course, much is not.
I think the brand has no value. Your personality is worth more than your brand.
For example; If you buy simple clothes in the market, it depends on you how you show it, how you wear it, depends on your personality, because sometimes the brand doesn't suit your personality,
keep your personality. Not the brand, if you have a good personality then something simple will look good on you.
I agree, clothing and things can't hid or mask a person's true personality; I like what you said about being of good personality, in doing so anything will look good on a person.
Yes you are right, brand doesn't matter but personality does.
Did you notice I sent you 5,000 Ecency points?
Yes I noticed.
Thank you so much😊
Was having my morning coffee and news while trying to settle on a topic to tackle today. Was reading a New York Times article about Walmart (do y'all have those down under?) sending it's managers to an 'academy' for compassion training and it quoted one saying "And then you would come back to your market really filled with a lot of company culture that then you became and abassador and a catalyst."
WHISKEY. TANGO. FOXTROT.
That is some serious internalizing of corporate bullshit but it got me to thinking about shooting people and their relationship with branding. Still not sure what angle to approach it from but once I saw your piece I knew I had to do something on the topic.
Personally, I have an antagonistic relationship with brands, there's plenty I detest and refuse to have anything to do with but none that I actually 'love'. There's a few that I've come to expect quality work from but if they don't live up to that they go on the shit list too. Branding with clothes has always baffled me, why would you want to be a walking billboard? I'll cut the logos off before I wear it or I ain't wearing it.
We don't have Walmart here (thankfully) but I'm not at all surprised to read what you wrote here; more hocus pocus I guess, typical stuff.
As for the brands...if it does a job well I'll buy it and use it...but I don't default to designer brands, never have, as I don't often see the value and, like you, am not inclined to wear a shirt emblazoned with the makers name. When I see people who do, I usually think, wanker. I much prefer to work towards being a better person and having a better life than deluding myself that a designer brand can do it for me.
Hi Galen, at this time I don't usually buy brand name stuff, but I can't get out of the world I live in. As for clothes I have some that I only wear to work and that are from the fashion brand. It seems inevitable that people will judge you by how you dress. Best regards
People will judge no matter what I think, it's human nature. I guess my point is that wearing or having brand names doesn't mean a person will be perceived/judged favourably. It takes more than the right brand name.
Probably one of the appeals of Hive, as I see it, is that you relate to people not by what brands they wear. But by what they create, or how they relate.
I agree, it removes the visual aspect of perception.
👍
When the value of the branded product is mentioned...
Yes, it is more expensive because it is essentially of better quality, but the question is how much more expensive it realistically needs to be.
I know this because when I was young I worked in a warehouse of branded clothes.
When the products of a well-known brand and a less well-known one are returned to the warehouse, and when these products are offered for sale to employees in the warehouse, the difference was a maximum of 10-20%. by no means 100% or 200%, how much is the difference in actions. means that brands really charge for the name (ie, they also charge for the name).
but when you buy a branded product, you buy it in some fancy, perfumed store, where the saleswomen are like models, where there are bright lights and advertisements, and that all costs money and thus raises the price of that product...
I've seen some good documentaries on how garments are made, designer clothing and generic, and I know there's often a difference. It's like with firearms...I never buy cheap ones, the same with optics (scopes) I buy the most expensive ones I can find as they are better say, Kahles over Bushnell for instance, Sig Sauer over Glock. I buy them for a reason though, because the job they do, not because I'll be perceived better.
I'm sorry my comments don't match yours in length, I simply don't have the time to write lengthy replies. I hope you understand.
Since I sometimes forget that I leave a comment and not write a post 🙂 thanks for reading and not apologizing for a shorter answer 🙂
A designed product with a sound label :-)
It gives me goosebumps sometimes...
But, in general. the fact is that a branded product is more expensive, and more expensive in sales usually means more expensive in production, and thus better quality, more reliable, more pleasant, more comfortable...
It can happen that some no name product is of high quality, but in mass production it is mostly not like that - savings are made at every step...
When I buy something for myself, I choose it so that it is useful, comfortable and pleasant.
Clothes and shoes are somehow chosen most often.
In this choice, if I come across a designed product, I will not run away from it, I will only buy it if it does not have a big brand emblem.
Letters on the button, a small label on the sleeve on the side, embroidered brand colors on the pocket, etc. are enough.
The other day, a friend complained to me. Her son in elementary school, they turned the label on the sneakers to see if it had a Nike code that confirmed it was original.
And I laughed when my wife was choosing her bag. Normally, she doesn't buy audio brands, but this one suited her and she decided to buy it, even though it exceeded her budget...
She sent me to buy it, and when I brought it home, after she noticed that one of the pendants didn't have the brand letters on it, she went to exchange it for another one. That was a minimal mistake, probably the label with the letters fell off, but as she said "when I'm already paying for the letters, I want to get them" 🤣
Yep, many people buy things because there's a few letters on the product, Nike, Mimco, Prada and so on...it doesn't make them better people though.
I have a friend that always has to have the big name stuff and I never quite understood it. It just doesn't click with me like it does for some people. I never had the name brand stuff growing up, but I never really cared either. I recently bought a pair of Nike shoes that were on sale and I was mortified that I was still paying $95 for them. I'll be danged if they aren't some of the most comfortable tennis shoes I have ever owned though. I've never bought a car new, I always buy used, and I usually have multiple spreadsheets when I am considering making a large purchase.
I like nice things and will defer to buying quality items when it's relevant, as I mention in the post...but I've never attached my feeling of self worth or value to others to items I've bought, my value comes from within, how alI act, treat people, honour and integrity...other things. It's sad that people feel the need to buy things in the (vain) hope of gaining acceptance from others.
I agree!
I never buy according to the brand, in fact I have little idea of brands. I just make sure that the material is good, that it is good for what I need it for and little else.
When I was a child and teenager I could never buy anything branded and I learned that the value of one does not come from that but from our inner self.
One person can have the most famous brand name clothes and look bad and another can have clothes without a brand name and be elegant, to give an example. elegance comes from within.
Everything comes from within, but these days people are often so superficial that they tend not to be able to look past what they see and into the true person; judging a person in that way will often give a false perception.
Many live by appearance and inside .... there is little...
I used to be very much like that, wanting branded things not because I was looking for quality, but just because I wanted to impress people, and I think that's what makes them look for branded products so much and even go into debt because of it.
When we get past this stage of wanting to impress, it's easy to see that there are many other good brands that cost less in monetary value, so there's more left over for you to use your money on other things or simply save it. Nowadays, what I always look for is balance, cost-effectiveness, in other words, I always try to find the best possible product (in terms of quality) that is cheap enough to fit into my budget.
I'm never impressed by those who wear designer labels and those who surround themselves with things in a bid to gain status...I'm impressed by people who work hard, treat others equitably, have courage and determination, a sense of honour and integrity, who show ownership and discipline, who have manners and and those who stand for those who cannot even when it puts them at risk. There's a plethora of other things but I think you get the point; what a person wears and the things they have, or don't have, don't make the person.
I totally agree with you, there are some songs that I like to listen to that are of the rap and trap genre that talk about exactly that "my value is not what I have but what I am", among many other examples, I don't think that having a brand on everything is a cool thing, like, everyone decides what they are going to spend the money they earn, but there are people who go through need to be able to buy a branded sneaker or an iphone for example, I think that's too wrong.
The best thing is to balance, to look for things that are good for us and that won't blow our budget and as you said, it's good to help other people too in some way, we need to live beyond designer brands!
I'm not brand crazy, have never been. I buy what's convenient for me pocket wise though there are times, I admit, I have had to spend an extra to buy a branded item, but that's because I trust in the name to outperform others.
It seems so sensible, and yet so many buy because they think it makes them better people.
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Yeah man, all millionaires need one!